Iraq arrests 47 officials ahead of prime minister’s visit to US

Iraq has launched a major anti-corruption crackdown ahead of Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi’s visit to Washington next month. The raids reportedly targeted Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij, whom the US had previously accused of aiding Iran.

Elite counterterrorism units stormed houses inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified ‌Green Zone early on Sunday, according to media reports, citing security sources. The area houses the US Embassy as well as other diplomatic missions, international institutions’ offices and homes of high-ranking government officials and prominent politicians.

On Sunday, the Iraqi INA state news agency reported that a minimum of 47 officials had been arrested during the raids. It also released a list of those detained, which included 15 names. Among them was Maarij, who the agency said was detained on “corruption charges.”

The US imposed sanctions against Maarij in May, accusing him of diverting Iraqi oil to benefit Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. He was also accused of facilitating Iranian oil exports by mixing them with Iraqi oil and using falsified documents. At the time, the Iraqi Oil Ministry denied the allegations.

America launched a military campaign against Iran together with Israel in late February during talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Washington also imposed a naval blockade against Iran in a bid to prevent its oil exports. The US only agreed to lift the blockade as part of a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran earlier in June following months of uneasy indirect negotiations.

Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi confirmed the anti-corruption campaign on Sunday and stated that arrests were ongoing. An unnamed diplomat in Baghdad also told AFP that the raids were “part of the Washington visit preparations” and were aimed at demonstrating al‑Zaidi’s commitment to the promises he had made earlier.

The prime minister took office in May vowing to fight corruption, as well as ensure the state monopoly on weapons, including by disarming Iran-backed militias. The Sunday raids coincided with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Baghdad. There, Tehran’s top diplomat spoke about his nation’s readiness to expand cooperation with its neighbor and the need to prevent escalation of tensions in the region.